How Small-Scale Infill Development Is Solving the Housing Crisis One Lot at a Time | Jim Heid

The housing crisis doesn't require mega-projects to solve. Incremental, human-scale development — cottage courts, small infill, ADUs — can quietly transform neighborhoods while preserving what makes them worth living in. In this episode, Matt Pouliot talks with Jim Heid, infill developer, author of Building Small, and founder of the Small Developer Forum, about the untapped potential of small-scale housing production. What you'll learn: What incremental development means — and why it outperforms large-scale projects in community acceptance How cottage courts and ADUs add housing supply without disrupting neighborhood character What zoning changes are needed to unlock small-lot development at scale Lessons from Jim's 40-year career at the intersection of design, policy, and real estate Why small developers are uniquely positioned to solve local affordability problems About Jim Heid: Jim is a nationally recognized infill developer, founder of the Small Developer Forum, and author of Building Small, a practitioner guide used by developers and policymakers across the country. He has spent four decades working at the intersection of architecture, community development, and real estate finance. Learn more & resources: Jim’s site (bio, projects, speaking): https://www.jheid.com/ Building Small overview: https://www.jheid.com/small/ Small Developer Forum (info & schedule): https://www.jheid.com/small/forums/ Building Small Community (free network): https://buildingsmall.mn.co/ Buy the book (ULI Bookstore): https://uli.bookstore.ipgbook.com/bui... Buy the book (Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/Building-Small... RiverHouse cottage court (case study PDF): https://www.jheid.com/wp-content/uplo... Build Maine Conference: https://www.build-maine.com/ Housing Matters is hosted by Matt Pouliot — housing developer, former Maine State Senator, and founder of Pouliot Real Estate. New episodes every two weeks. Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms. Follow us ‪@HousingMattersPod‬ Chapters: 00:00 Intro – Why “developer” needs a rebrand 00:25 What went wrong (’70s–’90s) and how to fix it 00:49 Meet Jim Heid & today’s focus 01:19 40 years across design, planning, sustainability, development 02:14 From landscape architecture to MRED: speaking finance + design 08:38 Design vs. math: communicating value to capital 10:35 The real delivery mix: design is ~10%, execution is 90% 13:26 To California via Denver & SF: translating between client and designer 17:09 “Built-environment entrepreneur” vs. “real estate developer” 19:36 Building Small ethos: incremental + experimental 20:26 Maine example: start with a proof-of-concept phase 21:19 Regulatory friction & the case for flexible frameworks 22:30 Frameworks - prescriptions; streets/greens hold the fabric together 26:08 Cottage courts & gentle density (RiverHouse case) 30:10 Market fit, community selection, and selling the “eighth unit” 34:30 ADUs & policy momentum; lessons from California 47:37 Design that builds community (streets that “talk,” corners that work) 51:28 Working with staff & boards; workshops - charrettes 59:01 Co-authoring solutions: bring options early 1:03:41 Why “small became big” (movement & finance) 1:06:22 Book, forums, & Building Small network 1:08:31 Wrap-up & where to find Jim